Relay



Dec. 5, 1933. J. c. TAMslTT 1,933,405

RELAY Filed May 2l, 1931 j Patented Dec.A 5, 1933 UNITED STATES RELAYJoseph C. Tamsitt, Aurora, Ill'., assignor to" Richards WilcoxManufacturing.. Company, Aurora, Ill.,l a corporation ofV IllinoisApplication May 21, 1931. kSerial No. 539,001V

8 Claims. (Cl. ZOU-98) The present invention .relates to relays orswitching devices, and embodies improvements in the general type ofrelay wherein the energization of a contact closingcoil actuates anarmature to cause a movable contact to engage with a cooperatingcontact, and wherein .the energization of a contact `opening coilactuates said armature to enable the movable contact to separate fromsaid cooperating contact. The

present construction of relay has been devised particularly for use withelevator signal and control apparatus, such as I have disclosed in mycopending application, Serial No. 555,909, led August 8, 1931,.andcertain features of this relay construction have been developed to meetconditions and requirements encountered in elevator signaling work.

One of the objects of the invention is to `resiliently lock the armatureand movable contacts against vibration when said armature and contactsare in either their circuit opening or circuit closing positions. Thisvibration tends to arise owing to theffact that alternating current isgenerally used'to energize the coils,-and owing tothe fact that with thearmature and movable contacts in their circuit opening posi- 'tion thecoil which has caused movementr of these parts to that position issuccessively energized with the movement of the elevator car past eachfloor level. In 'the preferred embodiment of the present invention thisvibration is avoided by a unique coaction between the movable contactspring and the armaturewhereby the contact spring locks the armature inits attracted position and holds it resiliently pressed against i thecoil or electromagnet.

' Another object of rthe inventionis to provide a very simple, reliableand inexpensive relay of the general type referred to above, wherein nopivot mountings are necessary for the contacts andno pigtails or otheriiexible electrical connections are vnecessary in establishing circuitconnections with the contacts. f

` Another object is fato' provide va relay of the l above descriptionwherein the electromagnet,r

embodiment:

In the accompanying drawing illustrating such Figure 1 is a frontelevationaly view of the relay showing the parts in contact closingposition;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the parts in contactopening position, and

Figure 3 is a transverse sectional view through the supporting panel,illustrating the unit removability of the parts on this panel.

The parts are mounted on a back panel 5 composed of insulation. Theseparts include two duplicate electromagnets 6` and 6a each comprising asoft iron core and a coil wound thereon. The ends of the cores areindicated at l and 17a. Each electromagnet is separately mounted on theback panel 5 through an L-shaped bracket 8 having its' horizontal legsecured to the electromagnet core by a screw 9. The Yvertical leg of thebracket is secured to the back panel bytwo bolts 11 spaced to each `sideof the medial line of the electromagnet andv passing through the bracketleg and back panel. Conductors 12 and 13 lead from each electromagnetand connect with terminal posts 14 and 15, respectively, which extendthrough the Vsupporting panel and are adapted to have circuitconnections established therewith on the rear side ofthe panel,Corresponding parts of the .right hand electromagnet 6a are indicated bythe same reference numerals with the suflix a.

The armature is va T-shaped rocking unit comprising the two side armportions 18, 18a and the depending leg portion 19. The cross bar makingup vthe side arm portions is of magnetic material, such as soft iron,and is drilled intermediate its ends for a pivot screw 21 which extendsthrough the back panel 5. A spacer sleeve 22 is mounted on saidpivotscrew between y the armature and thepanel, as shown in Figure 3. Securedin the ends of the arms 18, 18a are brass plugs 23, 23a. kwhich areadapted to strike and bear against the coreends 7 and 7a of thekelectromagnets. In the illustrated construction, the downwardlyextending leg 19 consists of a plate having its upper end setinto anotch in ythe! cross bar portion, and secured therein by welding orsoldering. The lower Vend of said leg 191s tapered to form acomparatively narrow contacting edge 19. y

The movable contact of the relay is indicated at 25 and the cooperatingcontact at 26. The` contact 25` is secured to the underside of a leafspring 27, and the contact 26 is securedto the upper side of a leafspring 28. Said springs are mounted in supporting posts 29 and V30 whichproject from the front side of the panel 5, the inner ends of theseposts having threaded extensionsk 31 passing through the panel andreceiving nuts on the back side thereof. The electricalVconnections'with the contacts 25 and 26 are established through theseposts and threaded ends 31. The outer ends of said posts are slottedlongitudinally, as indicated at 32, to form clamping halves for securingthe springs 27 and 28. Screws 33 pass through the split endsy of theposts and rigidly clamp the ends of the springs in said slots. The endsof the springs have longitudinally extending slots therein through whichthe screws 33' pass.. These slots permit thefsprings 27 and 28to beYshifted longitudinally to secure proper registry.

between the contacts 25 and 26 and also to properly relate the camsurfaces in the spring 27 with respect to the lower leg 19 of thearmature.v n,It is also possible to move the springs and contactsupwardly or downwardly in securing the proper adjustment of the parts byloosening the nuts on the threaded ends31 of the mounting posts androtating the posts slightly.

` The contact spring 27 is formed with a cam surface 36 which slopes`upwardly from the outer portion of the spring lup to the higher innerportion which carries the-contact 25. In this higher inner portion, justbeyond the cam slope i '36,k the spring is lalso formed with anotch-like depression 37. When the left hand electromagnet Sis energizedto close the contacts 25, 26 the armature leg 19 is caused to slideacross the cam surface 36, thereby camming the spring 27 downwardly andforcing the Contact 25 into engag'ementk with the contact 26. At the endof its swinging movement `the armature leg 19 snaps into the depression37. The parts are so proportioned that at this time the spring y27 'isexerting a pressure against the leg 19 up- This holds the crossv yarm 18of the armature resiliently pressed against the stop 7 on theelectromagnet 6. Such wardly and tothe left.

occurs instantly with the energization yof the magnet 6, and`thereafter, the parts are locked against vibration with the contacts 25and 26 held in engagement and with the cross arm 18 held against theelectromagnet; Hence, the pulsations ofthe alternating current, orsuccessive energizations of the magnet 6, do not tend When the righthand magnet 6a is energized .the armature is rocked in the otherdirection,

causing the leg 19 to snap out of the depression 37 yand permitting thekcontact 25 to separatefrom the contact 26. As shown in' Figure v2, thecam slope 36 then vpresses upwardly against the left hand'edge of theleg19, the

parts being so proportioned that this spring jpressure resiliently holdsthe cross arm 18a,

pressed up against the stop 7a on said magnet. Hencaeven'though thismagnet 6a is energized as theV elevatorcar passes each floor level, andsuch energization is effected by alternating current, the armature isresiliently locked againsty vibration and cannotvibrate the ContactspringV YThe resilient locking of the armature and the movable contactin both the open circuit and closed circuit positions of the deviceavoids the rpossibility of any unreliable or accidental operation of thecontacts, minimizes wear ofthe parts, and avoids noise.' In mounting,adjusting or replacing parts, it will be noted that the electromagnets6, 6a, the armature 18-19 and the two contact springs 27 and 28 are eachcapable of separate removal Vfrom the back panel 5 without disturbingany of the other parts.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a relay of the class described, the combination of a pair ofelectromagnets, a T-shaped armature pivotally mounted for rockingmovement and comprising two cross arms and an kangularly extending leg,each oi' `said cross arms.

comprising two cross arms and an angularly, i

extending leg, each of ysaid cross arms being adapted to be attracted byone ofsaid magnets, a relatively stationary contact unit, a movablespring contact unit adapted to cooperate therewith, contacts carried atthe free ends ofsaid units, means on said spring unit adapted to-beengaged by said armature leg for causing relative movement between saidcontacts, said movable spring unit resilientlyjlocking said armature legin each of its attracted positions, and means separately mounting eachofsaid units on said supporting panel whereby ,anyone of said units canbe separately removed and replaced without disturbing any of the` otherunits. V

3. In a relay of the class described, the combination of a pair ofelectromagnets, an armature pivotally mounted between saidelectromagnets and rockable to attracted position by each of saidmagnets, a pair of contact springsv pro-Vy lsprings engaged by anextending portion of said armature for forcing said spring outwardly` tocause engagement .of said contacts, said meansserving to hold saidarmature resilientlyl in both of'its attracted positions. f f

' Li. In a relay of the class described, Athe A combination of a pair ofelectromagnets, an armature pivotally mounted between saidelectromagnets and rockable to attracted positions by each of saidmagnets, a pair of contact springs provided with contacts at theirk freeends normally disengaged, means for varying the positions of saidcontact springs, and means on one of said contact springs engaged by anextending portion oi said armature for forcing pivot by attraction ofeach of said magnets, a

first contact spring, a contact carried at the free end thereof, asecond contact spring, a contact carriedV at the vfree end thereof, anda camV surface formed on said second spring andcon-` tinuously engagedby said armature for causrockable into attracted position by each ofsaidl magnets, a pair 'of laterally extending contact springs supportedat their opposite ends and having their adjacent ends overlapping,contacts carried by the free ends of said springs and normally spacedapart, and a cam surface on one of said springs continuously engaged bysaid armature for causing engagement and disengagement of said contactsupon attraction of said armature by said magnets, said cam surfacecomprising an integrally formed onset sloping portion having a notchformed at one end thereof. l l

7. In a relay, a pair of electromagnets, a pivotally mounted armaturerockable to attracted position by each of said magnets, a pair ofcontact springs provided with contacts at their free ends normallydisengaged, and cam means on one of said contacty springs continuouslyengaged by an extending portion of said armature andadapted to eiectengagement and disengagement of said contacts upon respective attractionof said armature by said magnets, said cam means preventing release ofsaid armature from either of its attracted positions except byattraction of said magnets.

8. In a relay, a base member, a pair of separately mounted electromagnetunits mounted on said base member, a pivotally mounted armature rockableinto attracted position by each of said magnet units, a pair ofseparately mounted contact spring units on-said base member havingcontacts at the free ends thereof normally disengaged, and cam means onone 'of said contact spring units continuously engaged by an extendingportion of said armature and adapted to effect engagement anddisengagement of said contacts upon rocking movement of said armature,each of said units being separatelyfremovable from said base memberindependently of the other units.

JOSEPH C. TAMSITT.

